It's Maple Syrup Time in St. Jacobs ~ The Sweetest Season!

Thursday, March 29, 2018

With winter behind us and spring on the horizon, it's maple syrup season once again. As majestic maple trees in local woodlots awake during warming daytime temperatures following freezing nights, sap begins flowing from root to treetop. It's then that the trees are "tapped" and the watery sap collected for the long process of being boiled down to sweet and delicious pure maple syrup, taffy, sugars, and other maple products.

In St. Jacobs Country, there are a number of ways to learn, experience, and taste the magic of the maple season first-hand!

St. Jacobs Horse-drawn Tours hosts Saturday excursions to the sugar bush (until April 14 in 2018), local farmers sell maple syrup fresh from the farm at St. Jacobs Farmers' Market (Thursday & Saturday), and The Maple Syrup Museum tells the story of its production from the time it was introduced to pioneering settlers by indigenous people, to modern day production methods.

You can also sample and buy fresh local maple syrup products and other local gourmet foods all year around at The Farm Pantry, open every day in the Village of St. Jacobs, or order it from them online for shipping anywhere in Ontario.

Maple syrup is so well-loved, and its production so significant to the local economy, that an entire festival is dedicated to it. The Elmira Maple Syrup Festival is the world's largest one-day maple syrup festival and takes over the town's entire main street each year with a staggering array of crafters, food booths, and of course, all things maple. It takes place on Saturday April 7, 2018; learn more by clicking here.

Maple syrup season happens only once a year so be sure to plan a visit soon!